"INTO THE WOODS"
a musical

OTHER SHOW INFORMATION:

SYNOPSIS:

Into The Woods blends various familiar fairy tales with an original story of a childless Baker and his Wife, who catalyze the action of the story by attempting to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child.

In the first act, the characters set out to achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever After" through familiar routes - Cinderella goes to the Ball and captures the heart of Prince Charming, Jack climbs the Beanstalk and finds a land of Giants and Gold, Little Red Riding Hood survives her clash with the wolf at Grandma's house, and Rapunzel manages to escape her tower with the aid of a handsome prince who climbs her long hair. The Baker and his Wife move through their stories while pursuing their own goal - the Witch who keeps Rapunzel (revealed to be the Baker's sister) has put the curse on his house, and agrees to lift it if the Baker and his Wife can find the ingredients to help her reverse a spell which her mother has laid on her, keeping her old and ugly. Those ingredients are: A Slipper As Pure As Gold, which the Baker's Wife gets from Cinderella, A Cow As White As Milk, which the Baker buys from Jack in exchange for magic beans, A Cape As Red As Blood, which the Baker gets from Little Red Riding Hood in exchange for freeing her and Granny from the Wolf, and Hair As Yellow As Corn, which they get from Rapunzel. The ingredients are gathered, and the spell works, stripping the Witch of her power, but restoring her beauty. At the end of Act I, all the characters seem poised to live "Happily Ever After".

Act Two, however, deals with the consequences that traditional fairy tales conveniently ignore. What does one do with a dead Giant in the back yard? Does marrying a Prince really lead to a happy and fulfilling life? Is carving up the wolf the solution? Is the Giant always wrong? In Act two, all the characters must deal with what happens AFTER "Happily Ever After". As they face a genuine threat to their community, they realize that all actions have consequences, and their lives are inescapably interdependent, but also that that interdependence is their greatest strength.

-June Abernathy
(from sondheim.com: Putting it together since 1994)

CHARACTERS:

Narrator
Cinderella
Jack
Baker
Baker's Wife
Cinderella's Stepmother
Florinda (Cinderella's Stepsister)
Lucinda (Cinderella's Stepsister)
Jack's Mother
Little Red Riding Hood
Witch
Cinderella's Father
Cinderella's Mother
Mysterious Man
Wolf
Rapunzel
Rapunzel's Prince
Grandmother
Cinderella's Prince
Steward
Giant
Snow White
Sleeping Beauty

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

Act I
	1.	Prologue: Into the Woods	Narrator, Company
	2.	Cinderella at the Grave	Narrator, Cinderella, Cinderella's Mother
	3.	Hello, Little Girl	Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood
	4.	I Guess This is Goodbye/ Maybe They're Magic	Jack, Baker, Baker's Wife
	5.	I Know Things Now	Little Red Riding Hood
	6.	A Very Nice Prince	Cinderella/ Baker's Wife
	7.	First Midnight	Company
	8.	Giants in the Sky	Jack
	9.	Agony	Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince
	10.	It Takes Two	Baker, Baker's Wife
	11.	Stay With Me	Witch, Rapunzel
	12.	On The Steps of the Palace	Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Jack
	13.	Ever After	Narrator, Company

Act II
	14.	Prologue: So Happy	Narrator, Company
	15.	Agony Reprise	Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince
	16.	Lament	Witch
	17.	Any Moment/ Moments in the Woods	Cinderella's Prince, Baker's Wife
	18.	Your Fault	Baker, Jack, Witch, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood
	19.	Last Midnight	Witch, Baker, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood
	20.	No More	Baker, Mysterious Man
	21.	No One Is Alone	Cinderella, Baker, Jack Little Red Riding Hood
	22.	Finale: Children Will Listen	Witch, Company